


Nosedive

by littlelavendeer



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-04
Updated: 2017-08-04
Packaged: 2018-12-11 03:45:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11706144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlelavendeer/pseuds/littlelavendeer
Summary: After studying abroad in the United States, Yuuri returns home after 5 years. A quick airport drabble set before Yuuri's return home in the first episode.





	Nosedive

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is my first legitimate piece of fanwork, and I'm super excited to share it with you all! As such, I didn't pay super close attention to all the canon details involving Yuuri's time away & his return home so if anything, consider this an AU. I'm not sure if I will be continuing this piece or if I'll leave it as its own complete story. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!!

"This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight 213. We are now inviting those passengers with small children, and any passengers requiring special assistance, to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes time. Thank you."

The announcement chimed through the terminal. Yuuri paced behind the leather seating, clinging to his boarding pass. He’d already had his larger baggage checked, and had gone through all the security procedures. The stressful parts of the return home should have already passed, and yet he couldn’t help the pit of anxiety settling in his stomach. He put his earbuds in, and the world around him began to fade. 

His time in Detroit had been enjoyable, no doubt. However, returning to Japan, returning home, felt so surreal. He absentmindedly picked at the navel of an orange. “What if things are too different? What if 5 years was too long? What if home doesn’t feel like home?” His thoughts continued to storm and swirl, and before long, he was entirely caught up in a full What-If typhoon.

"This is the final boarding call for passenger Yuuri Katsuki booked on flight 213. Please proceed to gate 2 immediately. I repeat. This is the final boarding call for Yuuri Katsuki. Thank you."

Yuuri continued to delve deeper into his thoughts and swirling emotions. After his loss at Nationals, his skating season was effectively over. All of his efforts, all the sweat and blood he put into his routines, all the countless hours of practice with Coach Celestino, amounted to his epic failure. He wasn’t prepared to face his friends and family with the loss weighing heavily on his mind. 

“I’ve let them down. All of them.”

Tears began to form at the corners of his eyes. In an effort to avoid creating a scene, Yuuri dashed for the bathroom. “Don’t cry in public don’t cry in public don’tcryinpublic.” He rushed through the doors, thankful for the lack of a line, and locked the stall door behind him. Tears streamed down his face. The anger, frustration, and disappointment continued to boil within him. The tears stung his eyes, bitterness laced into each drop. He allowed himself to stay there for quite some time. The gray, metal walls elicited an odd sense of security.

It wasn’t until his phone chimed that he drew himself away from his thoughts. A text from Phichit glowed on the tiny screen.

“Haven’t heard from you in a while, bud. Hope you’re doing OK. Have a safe flight home & text me when you land!”

A small smile crept across Yuuri’s lips. He was so thankful for his friend and the kindness he showed, and the small message reminded him of. . .

Wait.

What time was it getting to be?

He checked his phone again. 

Yuuri bolted upright. “SHIT.” 

He collected his things and ran out of bathroom, and made a beeline for the gate. Out of breath and disheveled, he couldn’t get the words out to the attendant. “The… the gate… the flight… I have… I have the ticket, I have my ticket… I have it.” He showed the woman his crumpled boarding pass as if to clarify his previous jumble of words. She took the wadded paper from him and smoothed it out, trying to make out the information on the crinkled print.

“I’m so sorry, sir. That flight has already departed.”

“That was my flight home, is there another one I could transfer to? Or or maybe I could get an indirect flight, I don’t mind layovers? Or perhaps I could--”

“We can get you on the next flight out. It leaves tomorrow morning at 6:00.”

“Oh that’s so wonderful, thank you!”

Yuuri let out a sigh of relief. As he was walking away from the counter, realization began to dawn on him. “Six o’clock the next morning? Tomorrow?? What will I do in the meantime? I can’t leave, I don’t have a place to stay, the flight is hours away!” He dragged his feet to the nearest empty seating and plopped his things down. “Perfect,” he sighed to himself. 

Right as he was about to settle in, his stomach gurgled. He was without dinner, aside from a few snacks leftover, and mentally scolded himself for not packing more. The thought of staying the night in the airport without food made his stomach rumble even more. The costly airport food glistened and sat just a short walk away. He had avoided purchasing anything thus far, but the allure of the various plastic wrapped pastries and mediocre coffee became too tempting to resist. 

Yuuri browsed the small selection of glorious, sugary muffins, sweet rolls, and doughnuts. He often turned to food to comfort himself, much to his coach’s dismay. “Not that it matters anymore,” he reminded himself. He settled on one of the rolls and made his way to the warm beverages. Today’s options: Vaguely Hazelnut, Bitter Vanilla, and Watered-Down Plain Coffee. He poured himself a small cup of Vaguely Hazelnut after deeming it to be the least heinous of the three. He made his way over to the cashier, paid for his meal, and started heading back to his seat. Yuuri balanced his food on top of his coffee cup and pulled out his phone. He fired off a text:

“Phichit- Missed my flight. Staying in the airport overnight & heading home tomorrow morning. Will talk again soon --Yuuri”

The promise of food had raised his spirits, if only slightly. He sat down with his eyes still on his screen and took a bite of his roll. Okay. Maybe more than just slightly. 

With a full tummy and a newly secured flight, things were starting to look up. “Perhaps this whole thing won’t be so bad after all?” He pulled his bags in closer to his body. Laying there on the seats with his hand tucked behind his head allowed the events of the day to finally catch up with him. He hadn’t realized just how exhausted he was. He put his headphones back in and shut his eyes. It wasn’t long before he drifted off to sleep.

\------

Victor Nikiforov, Russia’s star skater, loved airports. In all his travels, he’d become quite familiar with the routine of it all. The process became muscle memory -- baggage check, security, waiting, boarding. The monotony of it all was a welcome change of pace after dealing with competitions, in all their hectic glory. He loved watching all the different people from different backgrounds with different destinations meet up if only to cross paths once and never meet again. He especially loved the anonymity he had in such places. While he may encounter a small number of fans, he was mostly left to himself. 

For this particular occasion, Victor was headed to a promotional sportswear photoshoot. A quick trip, no hassle. He shouldn’t be occupied for more than a few days, but Yakov had insisted he stay longer in case the photographers needed him to return. “He worries too much.” Victor smiled at the thought of his coach.

Victor arrived at his gate without a hitch. He still had some time to kill before boarding, so he wandered over to the concessions stand. He was mulling over which bottled juice he should purchase when he stopped in his tracks. 

“That can’t be him,” Victor told himself.

He watched as the man in question walked past him, totally absorbed in whatever he was doing on his phone.

Flashbacks from the Grand Prix Final flicked through his mind. Yuuri Katsuki. The skater’s breakdown. Yuuri Katsuki. The banquet. The dancing, the drinks. Yuuri Katsuki.  
Victor continued to watch. The way he pushed up his blue-rimmed glasses, the brown eyes behind them, and the tousled black hair all confirmed Victor’s initial judgment. 

“It is. That’s him, no doubt about it.”

Excitement began to bubble in his chest. Victor hadn’t been able to contact Yuuri since the banquet. Surely he’d remember their night dancing together. It had occupied Victor’s thoughts nearly every day since! He was about to make his way over to Yuuri when his phone began ringing. A quick glance revealed a call from one of his sponsors, a call too important to ignore. 

Victor glanced at his watch after the call ended. It was nearly time to board. A quick skim around the room yielded unexpected results. “Where did he go now?” He began surveying the surrounding area more carefully, hoping to catch at least a small glimpse of Yuuri. He found him curled up on the dark leather seats, cradling his bags for warmth. Just as he reached the sleeping man, his boarding announcement rang through the room. A tinge of sadness spread through Victor. He set his backpack down and withdrew a rolled fleece blanket. Gingerly, he spread it over Yuuri, careful not to wake him. 

Victor smiled softly as a small snore escaped from Yuuri. Then, he pushed back his desire to stay, gathered his things, and boarded his plane. 

As the plane began its ascent, Victor recalled his previous statement. His heart ached. He had to say goodbye to all the different people, from different backgrounds, all with different destinations. Mostly, he said goodbye to Yuuri. The image of the sleeping man was still fresh in his mind. At least he saw him again, he thought, if only to cross paths with him just this once.


End file.
